I am so sorry this has taken so long! Again, I'm still really sick and his chapter just hasn't wanted to work out, I've literally been up over 36 hours now so any mistakes are completely mine and I'm sorry for them! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, alerted and favourited so far! It means a lot to me!
Also, you should really go read mine and swagUPwindowsDOWN's collaboration story on her page :) we're both really proud of it! Please and thank you!
The rest of the day flew quickly without a problem the genius raven quickly getting through his Chemistry lesson without an issue, the advanced elements and compounds that most students struggled with easily clicking together in his mind, the information planting itself deep inside his memory, ready to be drawn out whenever it was needed. Logan had always loved how easily he took in and remembered information, it just made school work so much easier if you remembered everything the teacher had said. Following up from the Chemistry class was Gym which he was sharing with Carlos, and personally, Logan didn't know it was possible to have that much energy in the last lesson of the day. The Latino boy had run around the Gym hall at least 5 times before breaking a sweat, the whole time giggling and grinning with excitement, then after that "warm up", he'd played two games of basket ball! Carlos himself wasn't much taller than Logan, but he could surely jump high enough to reach the hoop easily! Logan wasn't the best at Gym, there weren't really any facts to learn and memorize just natural sporting ability, which Logan didn't really possess in most sports.
Before Logan knew it, the lesson had drawn to a close, the coach telling them to go and get changed ready to go home. Carlos happily hooked his hand around Logan's pale upper arm, dragging him easily into the changing rooms; the smug grin was still planted on his face, unrelenting.
"Yo, Logan, there's a tradition in our little group of friends that whenever we meet a new friend, we have to walk home with them! It's just so we know where you live if there's ever an emergency! Is that alright?" Carlos grinned at him, the dimples once again shining through in little crescent moons. His eyes were shimmering gently with excitement, waiting impatiently for Logan's reply.
Logan gently went over the thought in his head; nothing could really go wrong with just showing them where he lived, right? It's what friends did, plus if there was ever a problem, of course they'd be able to come to him for help. So, not seeing any major flaw in the plans, he nodded in agreement with Carlos's request, unable to help but smile as the Latino's face lit up.
"Awesome! Meet you by that table we sat on at lunch once you're changed? Great!" And with that, Carlos ran out without really giving Logan a chance to process what had just happened. When had Carlos got changed, and how quickly was he able to do it? Logan shook his head fondly, he'd only known the small group of friends, but he'd already come to the conclusion that he'd never understand the doe-eyed Latino who had knocked him down in the hallway.
Picking up his discarded clothes, Logan slowly began to change, being careful not to irritate his skin with the rough fabric his mother had packed for his sports clothing as he pulled off the shirt, replacing it with his regular tee. Deep voices from around the corner pulled Logan out from his concentration, leaving his trousers slightly unbuttoned as he strained to listen, dropping all thoughts of finishing getting changed once he's heard his new nickname mentioned.
"So, that newbie looks like a geek to me, I was thinking; since he doesn't talk, maybe we could...try and make him scream instead, sound like a plan?" Logan could tell by the older boy's tone that his mouth was set into a smirk; this couldn't be good, not at all. Logan quickly focused on this clothing again, completely fastening the button as he tried to hurry, shoving the itchy rough fabric of his kit back into the bag he'd carried it in. While pulling on his sneakers, Logan's trained eyes quickly scanned the changing rooms, searching for an escape route before anything bad could happen to him, he could already hear the big guys' heavy footsteps approaching.
But, unfortunately, Logan was too late; he'd taken too much time.
Two large boys in which Logan had just shared Gym with rounded the corner, their small beady eyes focused on Logan's small, trembling form.
"Hey, Newbie, you going to talk to us? Beg us not to hurt you?" He scoffed a little at his own joke, turning to his friend when Logan stayed silent. "Get him." The two simple words struck fear deep inside Logan's heart, paralyzing his body so he couldn't run. The quieter one of the two boys grabbed Logan's arms, pulling the limbs painfully behind his back and harshly planting his foot against the lower part of the raven's spine, sending bolts of pain charging through his small body. He struggled, trying to get away, opening his mouth and trying to scream for help, cry out in pain, any sound that he could force himself to make that could attract help, but as always, no sound happened, Logan was left struggling like a fish out of water as the taller boy punched in harshly in the stomach, chest and face, pounding him into the floor.
Logan's struggles began to cease, his mind slowly blurring and darkening. He felt as though he was underwater, vision swimming in and out of focus as fists continued to collide with his broken body. He was slowly slipping from awareness, that much was clear for the genius as he lay on the cold tiles, slowly becoming numb to the pain the large beefy boys were bringing him.
"Hey, Logan you were taking a while so Carlos sent me to come check you we-What are you two doing?! Logan!"
Logan recognised that voice through his half conscious haze. It was one of his new friends, right? Yes, that was right, the blonde one. Ken...something. Logan's brain refused to focus, but somewhere in his dazed state he'd noticed that the harsh pounding on his fragile bones has ceased, his friend must have made that happen. Somewhere he stashed a mental post-it note to thank the blonde boy when he was more conscious and could actually see the boy in question.
-
After that, Logan guessed he'd completely blacked out, because next thing he knew, a cold wet towel was gently being pressed against his face and neck, the cool water was soothing, gently drawing him back into consciousness in a much calmer way than just a slap in the face would be.
"Wow, they got him good didn't they? You think he's alright?"
"Shhh, Carlos, I think he's waking up!"
Taking this as his cue, Logan slowly began to try and open his aching eyes, unable to ignore the horrible pounding in the base of his skull. In front of his eyes swam three worried faces, Kendall's was in the centre, staring deep into his eyes with his own green ones.
"Are you alright, Logan? I found those two brutes hitting you pretty hard, by the time I got them off you; you were completely out of it." He smiled gently at Logan, the smile growing and a happy gleam shimmering in his eyes when the genius nodded in affirmation that he was alright.
James gripped Logan's right arm while Carlos took the left, both of them heaving Logan to his feet and supporting him as his knees buckled for a second. Logan winces lightly as the world swam in front of his eyes once more, a slight fear panging in his heart that he would pass out again in front of all of his new friends. Feeling Kendall's warm, steadying grasp on his arms, joining James's and Carlos's grips was just what was needed to slowly bring him out of the daze he'd fallen into, gently shaking his head from side to side to clear the mist from his brain.
"You good to go? You still need to show us where you live! Don't think a little beating from the big kids will get you out of it!" James winked at him, grinning madly as the boys helped him walk out of the bathrooms in which he'd woken in, and out of the school gates. About half a block later, Logan was finally feeling steady enough to walk alone, leading the boys down winding roads and alleyways on the way to his home.
Logan's house was a pretty cottage that stood alone in front of a large field surrounded by trees and a lake, it was very scenic and calm, and the home in which Logan lived seemingly reflecting his personality perfectly.
The three boys stared in awe at the small innocent cottage; it looked like something out of a story book! Logan turned to them and waved slightly before entering the house.
Carlos, James and Kendall hung around for a few minutes, making sure they couldn't really be seen from the door or windows, before they slowly made their way to the front door, Kendall cleared his throat and tapped on the wood a few times with his knuckles.
The wait was excruciating, the boys praying it wasn't Logan who answered and was a family member instead, thankfully, the boys got their wish as a middle aged woman answered the door, looking at the three teenagers who stood on the doorstep in shock.
"Can I help you boys?" She asked lightly, trying to keep the worry from her voice. They hadn't lived there long, she didn't want to have neighbour troubles already.
"Erm, Mrs Mitchell, right?" Kendall asked her, feeling a little nervous and shy, but they had to do it, get to the bottom of their riddle named Logan.
"Its Ms Mitchell, but yes, are you friends of Logan's? He's upstairs doing homework right now, but if you come back later..."
James cut her off as politely as he could. "Sorry, Ms Mitchell, but we're not here to see Logan, we just want to ask, is there a reason Logan won't speak to us? We've tried everything but he's stayed completely silent all day."
Ms Mitchell looked sympathetic for a moment. "Oh dears, he didn't let you know?"
Carlos let a flash of confusion grace his face. "Let us know what?"
She sighed lightly. "Logan can't talk, he's a mute."
Well, that explained a lot.